Loyalty, Duty and Love
by Freedom Fighter94
Summary: How would you feel if someone you always secretly love dies but there might be a way to get them back? A gamble where you could get them back or you could destroy your friends,their trust and the planet you fight so hard for...what would you do?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of the Loonatics it _all_ belongs to Warner Bros.

Note: just to say if I put one of these ['] either side of words it means thought, two ["] means the character is talking ok? [I hope], comment if you don't understand… Also note that there is a spoiler alert as several episode parts will be used so you have been warned. Anyway enough with that here is the story…

Loyalty, Duty and Love

Prologue

'Unstoppable' Ace thought angrily 'why couldn't they be like other robots and just break already' he thought again while blocking the robots sword with his own sword. There were only a few robots but they were giving the Loonatics a rough time since their call from Zadavia who assumed they were robots similar to the ice Vikings who had been released when the meteor hit and had been making their way up to Acmetropolis; that was several hours ago. One of the robots appeared to be running to and fro but as Ace looked closer he saw Duck, quacking in several different places again and again.

"Tech!" Rev called while teasing a lumbering robot

"What is it?" Tech shouted back while using his magnetic shield to block another attack

"just-wondering-whether-you-have-thought-of-Plan-B-yet-because-sorry-but –when-you-said-it-would-only-take-a-few-seconds-it's-been-almost-5-mi-" The coyote interrupted the roadrunners babble

"well then Rev why don't you keep this robot busy and I'll try and think up something that works within your schedule" the coyote replied sarcastically, nether the less he knew Rev had a point. Rev grinned slightly before gasping and trying to stop as one of the robots appeared in front of him…'to late' Rev thought as the robotic arm came swinging down at him colliding with him in his stomach. Slam turned round from tearing one of the robots apart to see Rev hurtling backwards through the sky, puzzled Slam scratched his head before realizing that it wasn't one of Revs new tricks and quickly stepped into the path of the robot. Slam growled before using his tornado attack to hurl the robot upwards. Tech meanwhile had scrambled over to Ace and they were now back to back as two of the robots were circling them…evaluating what the two anthros were going to do

"What are we going to do chief?" Tech asked while using his magnetic abilities to tear the robot in half as Ace cut through the robot on his side with his laser vision

"well Tech, I'm sure you bring a super genius an' all you might be able to come up wit sometin'-"

''I guess I'm just trying to figure out how they are forming back to together… if we can destroy that then we can destroy them''.

All the heroes watched as for what seemed like the millionth time the robots pulled their parts back together and continued on their endless rampage. Ace paused looking around all of his team mates were struggling through tiredness, quickly he thought through all the possible strategies and decided on one he never liked using

''all right Loonatics, time to retreat head back to base NOW!'' at once the Loonatics activated their jetpacks and most lifted out of the way of the robots. Ace switched his on before spinning and coming face to face with one of the robots.

''Uh oh'' he whispered locking with the cold, metallic eye of the robot as it lunged towards him, its sword poised. For the first time in his life Ace shut his eyes. CRUNCH! The metallic noise made him flinch as he waited for the pain but strangely he didn't feel anything, suddenly he felt a body collide with his but he could tell it wasn't a robot, as he hit the ground he opened his eyes slowly before looking around 'what happened… what saved me?' he continued to look around until his eyes fell upon Lexi who was lying several feet away, he glanced towards her trying to see her face more clearly but all he could see was her pain filled expression. He sat up.

''Lexi, what's wrong?'' he called panic stricken, he watched as she clutched just below her stomach. Confused Ace glanced back towards the robots who were now retreating into the shadows as some of the Loonatics tried to follow after them and then it hit him… on of the robots swords was blood 'no!' he thought as he scrambled across to where she was laying. Quickly he pulled her up high enough so he could rest her body on his; she watched him slowly and tried to force a smile before she gasped again

''Lexi… what have you gone and done that for'' he said anger and pain making up his tone

''I couldn't let them… I just couldn't watch you…'' she whispered obviously tormented by the memory, he paused realizing he was doing her no good by getting angry at her as he watched tears beginning to form at her eyes

''Tech quick get here now Lexi needs help and quickly'' he practically begged as he saw Slam and Tech turn around from trying to follow the robots. Ace looked back down at her; Lexi's breaths were becoming slower and shorter

''Lex… you can't… I didn't mean it like that…'' as he looked up to where Tech was speeding down towards them but she placed her finger across his lips before moving her finger up his cheek and brushed away a tear he hadn't noticed she smiled again before speaking slowly

''Ace… I want you to promise me something'' he watched

''don't talk like that Lexi… your going to be alright Tech is just there'' he said trying to force a smile but he couldn't, she was trying to tell him something. Something important.

''Ace, I want you never to forget that I have and will always love y-''she never got to finish her sentence. Tech stopped dead along with the rest of the Loonatics with paramedics who had also arrived. Time seemed to slow as her grip slacked and she slipped down her head hanging, her eyes locked in regret and pain blinked then became still.

Ace for a moment was expecting her to start breathing and smile her sweet lop sided smile as if she had just blacked out but she didn't… slowly as the truth began to sink in Ace pulled her limp body closer towards his pressing her cold cheek to his and whispered in her ear ''and I love you too…'' before he began to sob uncontrollably.

The fearless leader had just lost something he would never get back…

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Well there's the prologue… this story is an experiment so depending on what people think I will decide to continue as there is possibly more drama to come. So I _might_ try to get the next few chapters up… we will just have to see… so go ahead press that big button that says 'REVIEW'…


	2. Chapter 1

Sorry I have taken awhile… I haven't been on this site long and already I am slowing up –grins sheepishly-

But lots of Thanks to the reviewers and the tips… I really am trying honest! It's just a major problem I've always had nether the less keep the advice coming…

Anyway, the chapter before was the prologue, this is chapter 1 set 3 years ahead of the prologue. Now to continue the story!

Chapter 1

Tech sighed as he picked up the holographic newspaper, it made him sad that some people in Acmetropolis couldn't understand what had happened. The title on the top flashed the newest headline ''Villain number 5 escapes the 'heroes' of Acmetropolis'' Tech only had to read part of the article before he threw it across the room, with an angry snarl. Rev glanced over at Tech trying to work out something to say, but he found no words to say. Slowly the roadrunner and coyote were joined by Slam and the unusually quiet Duck, Tech sat there now having no newspaper to read waiting for their leader to join them.

''fat chance'' Duck said watching Tech as if reading the coyote's thoughts

''Duck that's not fai-''

"Come on Tech wake up, your meant to be the smart one, Ace hasn't been the same since Lexi di-'' At that point Slam let out a low growl and Duck quacked over to the newspaper Tech had thrown across the room.

''This is has been exactly the same for the several years'' Duck said shaking the newspaper "what happens if Deuce comes back or an alien invasion happens. What then, Will our heroic, tactical, brave leader save us… no he wont because he is too depressed to even sleep properly, let alone _PROTECTING AN ENTIRE CITY_!'' Suddenly Tech's chair flew out from behind him as he stood up so abruptly,

''Don't you DARE speak like that about Ace ever'' the usually passive coyote now towered above the smaller mallard in his anger, as the growls ripped from his chest. Duck backed up before tripping over the carpet "You know how hard it's been for him, she was his right hand… they were always together, he's blaming himself…'' Tech's anger just seemed to dissolve, Duck stood back up brushing himself down.

"We-all-know-that-Tech-and-we-all-miss-her'' Rev said quietly, soon a silence fell over the four anthros. Rev looked up to see the taller shadow standing at the door, but he wasn't looking at Rev, he was watching Duck and Tech. Before heading silently through to the kitchen, no one knew what to say. Tech pushed Duck out of the way, before moving over to where Ace was clearly trying to avoid them.

''You ok chief?'' Tech's sympathetic voice broke into the silence, Ace just nodded blankly before sitting down at the table and swirling his drink around. Tech continued to watch the rabbit, noticing lack of sleep was taking its toll. Slowly the rest of the team sat around the silent leader. The other Loonatics looked at each other trying to encourage some conversation, but no one could think of anything to say.

''this is ridiculous'' Duck muttered, Tech glared at him.

''Duck'' Tech warned

''Tech, leave him… he has a point'' Ace said while looking into his drink.

''I do? Um I mean of course I do'' Duck said while trying to understand the fact that Ace had agreed with him

''And I'm really sorry… I didn't, I can't… it's just…'' the rabbit was struggling to find a reason as his eyes watered up. Duck seeing this suddenly felt a pang of guilt 'I haven't been making it easier' he thought while shifting uncomfortably.

"Ace, you know what you need'' Duck said suddenly, while walking around to where Ace was sitting. Ace looked up.

"A trip out, a break… something to enjoy yourself'' Duck said gently.

''Yeah-I-think-it-will-be-good-for-all-of-us'' Rev said adding a part into the conversation.

''I know a great place for food…_fun'' _Duck said emphasising the last word.

''Whadd'ya think?'' Duck said now grinning broadly at the rabbit. Ace paused thinking before nodding.

''Fine''

'Fraid this chapters a little short but it will lead onto a long chapter a promise. Thanks for reading this far I will try to update a.s.a.p.


	3. Chapter 2

Here's my next chapter, big thanks to the reviewers you guys are great!

By the way I will tell you some episodes will be mentioned so there's my spoiler alert. By the way not all the flashbacks are real episodes,

Disclaimer: -all attributes of Loonatics Unleashed belong to Warner Bros.

_N__one_ is mine, none at all…

Chapter 2

Slowly the jet lifted up, almost hesitant as it left the HQ behind. Duck sat at the pilot's seat, shifting uncomfortably around. 'Great the first time I'm leading, I'd rather be at the back' he thought in disbelief, surprised at his actions. Duck glanced out of the corner of his eye, making sure everyone was ok. 'Look at Ace, the poor guy… why'd Lexi go and ruin him' he thought angrily 'wait! What I'd just think? It's not her fault… she did it to save him and all of us' suddenly his mind flicked back, to the time they were fighting Aldolpho and his army…

_Flashback_

_Duck -''Phew…that was close, Lexi you and I had better find Ace pronto, while you other guys try and stop those whales''_

_Lexi [grinning] – ''okay, lets go water boy''_

_A few minutes later_

_Duck [turns to Lexi] –''you heard the coyote they need us, we're a team remember…''_

_End of Flashback_

Duck snapped out of it before moving back on course, before glancing around and looked at the chair nearest to the leaders. It was empty, Duck turned back around directing the jet to their destination 'idiot… she's not there and won't ever be' he paused, for a brief moment he could see Lexi's grin. He turned again to Ace who was staring motionlessly out of the window. 'I'll help him Lex, I promise. We were a great team.' Suddenly Duck pushed the jet faster in a surge of determination, waking up the sleepy passengers.

Tech jolted up at the speed the jet was now travelling 'blimey, he really wants to get there' Tech glanced out the window towards the tower, which was now vanishing out of their view. The coyote fidgeted in his new amour, he was still getting used to it 'I hope this plan of Duck's works.' He paused; it wasn't that he didn't trust Duck. It was just Tech never liked someone else making plans; it was his job as far as he could tell, and he was good at it. Tech sighed before leaning back in his chair, then he began to shut his eyes and relax. Until he noticed a glint, he leant forward and picked it up 'I don't believe it, it's part of Lexi's armour' he turned to glance over at the empty chair and lowered his head slightly 'it used to chip all the time didn't it' he thought smiling slightly while watching the empty chair swaying. 'We used to always have to fix it' Tech paused thinking back to the time with the Stomper

_Flashback _

_Tech [angrily at Duck] - ''what are you talking about? I was in the lab fixing the stuff you broke''_

_Lexi [watching Duck and Tech__] - ''and I was helping''_

_Duck started shifting uncomfortably around, while glancing around nervously. Tech and Lexi smile slightly at each other._

_End of Flashback_

Tech was smiling slightly again, before he turned around. He glanced back down at the chip of amour, then to Ace. 'Lexi, I made the amour better now. It can't be pierced now' he felt himself sadden again 'I just improved too late.' The coyote knew exactly how Ace was feeling, but couldn't understand it. 'Why Ace? I'm the one to blame… I caused it, I overlooked it believing it wouldn't ever be needed to be upgraded and I didn't even get there it time for you Lex. And now he's suffering because of my overconfidence.' The coyote dropped the bit of amour. 'I'm sorry Ace… Lexi, I even made a new armour for you in case you would come back… but your not' Tech felt a little sob escape almost as a slight whimper, just as a lonely tear formed at the corner of his eye. He turned away from Rev's curious gaze.

The roadrunner had heard a slight noise, coming from Tech's direction. But as soon as he tried to talk, Tech turned away. Rev was trying to come up with something to say, but couldn't find anything to say 'think, think, think. There's gotta be something. Maybe I could comment on the clothes, everyone is in nice casual wear for once…' he paused 'almost everyone' as he glanced at the pink triangle, which marked the second in command's chair. Rev looked out of the window, for the first time everything seemed to slow down. 'You always tried to listen to me, didn't you Lex. It's weird now… nothing's the same. No matter what we say or the public make up. We all miss ya. We can't concentrate' he smiled sadly 'we had to move the place around, to try make it seem like you didn't exist. I would have rather took those robots on again rather than do that. It was the hardest mission for all of us' Rev looked around at the silence from his team mates 'we failed that mission Lex, well I know I miss ya. I've got no one to beat at video games…' Rev chuckled as he remembered when he got himself and Lexi into trouble.

_Flashback _

_Rev [to Tech] – ''absolutely-positively-you-can-trust-me-because-I'm-a-bird-of-honour-and-see-no-hands-on-stuff-hehe-course-i-never-said-anything-about-my-beak'' _

_Tech leaves his lab, __Rev goes over and starts tapping with his beak on one of the many computers, a screen comes up with figures etc. on_

_Rev [happily to himself] – ''whoa! There-it-is''_

_A large console like machine unfolds and two touch screens appear over the top._

_Rev walks over excited_

_Rev – ''whoa-totally-sweet-sweet-sweet-a-video-game''_

_Lexi walks past, hears Rev say about the 'video game' and turns towards him_

_Lexi [excited] – ''did someone say video game?''_

_Both start 'playing' on the screens and laughing_

_A little later, Tech walks in horrified. Lexi and Rev are still smiling as Lexi appears to have 'won'_

_Tech – ''Whoa! What have you done?''_

_Lexi [happily] – ''well for one thing, __high score!''_

_Tech [nervous] – ''that's no game, that's my new X3000 automated weapons system''_

_Lexi [now nervous and worried turns around to face Tech] – ''uh oh… that was a real target and missiles'' _

_Rev [while rubbing back of neck nervously looks at Lexi] – ''I-wouldn't-worry-there-are-millions-of-uninhabitable-planets-and-asteriods-out-there-i-mean-what-are-the-odds-of-hitting-something-that-had-someone-living-on-it-huh!''_

_Later, Melvin is demanding that the Loonatics surrender or he will destroy the planet._

_Melvin [suddenly becoming nicer winks at Lexi] – ''by the way, nice missile targeting''_

_Lexi [grins] – ''thanks'' realises what she said and shakes her hands ''I mean it was an accident''_

_Rev [goes over to Lexi and puts his arm around her] – ''yeah-i-mean-we-thought-we-were-playing-a-game-but-it-wasn't-a-game-it-was-real-but-of-course-you-already-knew-that-or-you-sorta-knew-that-or-if-you-didn't-know-that-you-do-know-that-now-hehe-you-know''_

_Rev and Lexi grin innocently at each other._

_End of Flashback_

Rev looked down before glancing towards Ace 'wherever you are Lex… we need ya'. Rev suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, as a larger hand was placed on his shoulder. Rev smiled slightly at the Tasmanian Devil, then noticed Slam was holding out a choccie bar to him. Rev took the a piece of the bar and smiled gratefully

''bdpohpodehbof Rev, okay?'' Slam asked

''yeah, I'm fine'' the roadrunner replied, Slam continued to wave the chocolate encouragingly. Rev turned away though, his expression sad.

Slam paused and turned away, defeated by the hesitant anthros. 'Poor guys' he thought, he missed Lexi but he knew that she wouldn't want them to be like this. Lex would want them to carry on and be the strong team she died for… 'She wouldn't if she trusted us this much and she wouldn't want this' Slam thought. Slam stood up as he unbuckled his strap, he glanced around wary of the other guys. They wouldn't like what he was going to do. Before he quickly walked over to the drawer Lexi had on the ship, and went to open it. But he couldn't it had a lock and it was a shape he'd never seen. Slam's determination faded and slowly he went to sit in his chair. Before he remembered something, quickly he looked over to the piece of amour Tech had dropped. Then before he could get to move, he heard a noise coming from outside the plane. Slowly the Tasmanian turned, he saw the clouds moving… changing shape, Lexi looked back at him. Confused he stared at her

''go for it'' she said smiling before she faded back into the clouds. Quickly he unbuckled his strap and grabbed the piece. His movements attracting the attention of Rev and Tech,

''Slam, put that down its rubbish'' Tech said sympathetically towards the Tasmanian devil. But to his surprise Slam growled slightly before running to the draw again. Ace now turned.

''Slam, leave it alone… now!'' Ace said angrily beginning to get out of his chair. Slam ignored his protests and carried on, for the first time disobeying his leader's orders. 'No, I'm doing it for Lex' Slam thought

''Slam… you can't get in there. She told us there wasn't a ke-'' the click from the drawer made everyone go quiet. The lid flicked up and a hologram picture flicked on, Slam pressed on of the buttons maximising it. An image of the team flicked on, all of them were standing together. Close and strong. The picture was from when they got their promotions from Zadavia and the mayor. Suddenly small writing appeared at the bottom, but it was too small to read

''Tech can you zoom in on that'' Ace asked urgently as he snapped himself from the Lexi in the image. Tech in response, got out of his seat and pressed a couple of buttons. Duck switched the jet to auto pilot and came over. The words made them all go quiet; a single tear slipped from each of the anthros eyes as they read it. Written by Lexi and added to the image.

'my favourite picture of my friends and my new family. We are unbeatable and inseparable.'

The jet slowly began to lower down into a small field next just outside of Acmetropolis. It was close to the park but not one of the anthros noticed, until the engine switched off. It turned the hologram off.

No one moved for a few minutes, they were trying to absorb the message. Duck snapped out of it first, before lowering the door turning back around.

''well, we're here and remember what we came here for'' the other anthros nodded before grabbing a few items. Ace turned back around and sighed, glancing at where the hologram was. 'Well, better see where Duck has brought us' Ace slowly turned back towards the door, took a breath and stepped out.

''wow''

There you go Chapter 2, I've just noticed it' my longest chapter so far… blimey…


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks again for the reviewers; I apologize for the letter coming up funny. Hopefully it would have changed… also don't stop the good advice. = ]

Anyway here is the next chapter. This is the first time I have tried to write in first person, so we will see how that goes.

Also I have changed it a little bit-

-''speech''

_- __Thought __and__ song lyrics!_

Disclaimer: All of Loonatics Unleashed belongs to Warner Bros. And all of the attributes of the songs belong to the respective artists. _**None is mine.**_

Chapter 3 [Ace's POV for most of chapter]

"Wow" I muttered, Duck had really outdone himself. Slowly I looked around; taking in everything I could see. Duck meanwhile had already started walking away from the jet.

"Duck!" Tech who was now beside me, called to him.

"What?" Duck called back, turning around.

"Wait-for-us-otherwise-we'll-get-lost-and-we-will-have-to-sit-here-and-talk-for-ages…" I just rolled my eyes, Tech gave Rev a very cold stare. Before clamping his beak shut.

"Well we haven't got all day, ya know" Duck shouted impatiently. Me and Tech exchanged glances. Hesitantly we began to follow Duck who seemed quite content. After what seemed like a few minutes we had reached a large grassy hill, Duck quacked up to the top and turned back around waiting for us. Eventually the three of us had got up to Duck [Rev had already zipped off] to find him sat down, glancing down over the Acmetropolis Park. What a view it was. I sat down as I stared in awe at the park, the small band stage being set up. I turned back to the guys to find Duck watching my expression.

''what do you think?'' he asked

''it's certainly sometin' Duck'' I replied a small smile creeping onto my face. Duck grinned back, and then his tone changed

''well of course it is''

''Duck'' Tech warned, while grinning at the fact that me and Duck were relaxed again.

''well then we better eat now, otherwise Slam will eat it through the performance'' Duck said after a while.

I opened my eyes, to see that the afternoon sky already had a darker tinge to it.

''sfpfwowvmogr, it's getting late'' Slam commented

''I know, that's the idea'' Duck replied, his eyes still shut. Confused I looked back down over towards the park. A band was preparing on the stage, and quite an audience was gathering. All the lanterns were glowing gently. I looked back to Duck; I guess I was curious as to how Duck found this place. I turned to my right to ask… _idiot_ I couldn't believe what I had just done. _No! I was here to forget about… that _I shut my eyes trying to force those green, pain filled eyes out of my head.

''Ace'' I opened my eyes, and turned to the mallard next to me.

''What's up?'' I asked trying to the sadness out of my tone

''Never mind'' he said looking towards the rest of our team, who were playing football.

''Duck'' I said

''hm?''

''this place, how did ya, Well what I mean is I've never seen it on any map or-''

"I stumbled onto it"

"Stumbled?" I replied, while smiling. Then I noticed he fidgeted about a bit, my smile faded.

"Do you know how my parents died'' he said looking at me. I shook my head. He paused, looking down at the floor

"It was all an accident. We were driving back from visiting family and everything was generally silent being so late at night. Suddenly out of nowhere police sirens starting sounding. My father pulled out of the way, to let the commotion pass but-"Duck stopped his face frozen. I didn't know how much I wanted to hear but slowly he continued.

"The cars came round the corner… one of them was lower than the others. My mum turned around and grabbed my seat belt and unclipped it. Then she looked at me and said that she was proud of me and wished she could see what I would do when I was older. I was terrified and grabbed onto her sleeve and she pulled me into a hug, my father looked at me and ruffled my hair before my mother pushed me out of the car door. I didn't know how far I fell. But as I looked up, I saw the robot police car collide with my parent's car. Nothing happened and I locked with my mother eyes and you know what she did… she put on her bravest face and forced a smile. Then the car exploded as it fell out from the sky.'' Duck was now whispering. He looked up at me,

"I was afraid and distraught so I turned and ran as fast as I could as some of the police officers tried to get to me. I ran through the park and saw that fence, before I climbed over it and found this. Before I kept running to that hedge'' he said finishing

"I didn't mean to pry Duck" I said looking down

"And I'm sorry for being a jerk… I should have been more sympathetic. Considering I know what you went through" he said

"But that's why I came here. To help you. Lexi did that to save you, not to let you destroy yourself with guilt. If she didn't trust and believe in what you did, she wouldn't have done what she did'' Duck stated looking at me

"I know but…" the words choked in my mouth

"But?" Duck pressed

"Its nuttin'' I felt so sad again. At that point Rev zipped up to us.

"Duck-are-we-gonna-stay-and-watch-the-band-please-please-please" Rev begged as the crowd in the park began to sit down

"Duh" Duck replied rolling his eyes, the rest of the team came and we sat together as the band started to play. Quickly I excused myself.

[Normal POV]

Tech stood up, to follow Ace and make sure he was ok but Duck grabbed his arm

"Leave him Tech. He needs to do this on his own" Duck said as they both watched the rabbit disappear into the darkness.

[Back to Ace's POV]

I could hear the music starting up, I really did want to listen and sit with my team. But what Duck had said, really did hit me. I knew he meant well but my heart was breaking. I began to run. Then I realized I had reached a large hedge, I paused. Where had I heard that before… then I remembered it was where Duck had run to. I crouched down before noticing a small gap in the hedge. I fired up my laser blast, to make the hole big enough for me to fit through. _Nosey _a voice thought in my head as I scrambled through.

Brushing myself down as I stood up, a little gasp escaped my lips. I walked forward. A large willow tree hung down over a lake, the moon giving everything a silvery tint. It was secluded in though, the hedge kept everything hidden from overhead eyes. I paused hearing the song creeping through the night air.

_Sound the bugle now, _

_Play it just for me,  
_

Slowly I walked up to the willow branches, all of the small leaves were turning yellow. Dying. I winced, pushing the first couple of branches out of the way.

_As the seasons change,_

_Remember how I used to be_

I looked up the tree seemed to tower above me. Then I noticed someone just a little further in.

"Who's there?" I called, stepping forward as I did so the person near me took a couple of steps forward.

"Wait, I'm not going to hurt you its ok" I said gently, despite my heart beginning to speed up.

"You already are" they whispered, still facing away from me as they moved deeper into the willow.

"Look at you" they whispered but it echoed around

"I don't understand"

"Look at you, I didn't ask for you to be like that" I had had enough of this I went to turn away

"I loved our leader not a wreck" I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I spun back, the tears pricking at my eyes

"Lex? Is that you?" I whispered I couldn't believe what I was saying or doing, as I pushed after the shadow. Running after them.

_Now I can't go on,_

_I can't even start,  
I've got nothing left, _

_Just an empty heart_

I burst through the other side of the willow to find… nothing. I felt the anger burst from my chest and my laser burnt into the hedge. One bounced back and sent me hurtling into the ground. A wheeze escaped my chest. I rolled over onto my front to come face to face with my reflection in the water. But instead of the tired looking eyes, the worn features and no smile, my reflection was confident, with bright fiery eyes and a proud smile. I stared noticing another picture behind me in the water. The tan rabbit had a small smile, which was so common for her and her eyes were also bright and happy.

_I'm a soldier,_

_Wounded so I must give up the fight,_

_There's nothing more for me,_

_Lead me away..._

I realized what I had done, I turned around. There was no one else. I span back around, to come face to face with my own reflection. The eyes filled with pain and regret. I felt the sob rising in my chest. She was gone and I had ruined myself and her. I laid back down and looked up into the sky, hoping I could just stay there and be forgotten.

_Or leave me lying here_

I didn't care anymore. I had failed. Everyone, breaking up my team who had tried so hard to help me. I had failed her… it was meant to be me who died not her. Even then when given a second chance, I let her down.

_Sound the bugle now,_

_Tell them I don't care,  
There's not a road I know,_

_That leads to anywhere,  
Without a light fear that I will,_

_Stumble in the dark,  
Lay right down,_

_Decide not to go on  
_

I felt the tears flowing down my cheeks. I opened my eyes, then I noticed a glint of something reflecting onto my top. I sat up confused, something was caught on one of the willows branches. I stood up and walked over, before pulling it out and looking at it. It was the necklace I had gotten Lexi but I had never got the chance to give it to her. I tightened my grip on it before a light laugh made my turn around quickly. Lexi was watching me a small smile playing with her lips, she walked up to me and raised her hand and placed it on my cheek. It felt there. I couldn't believe it could I? I reached up my free hand hesitantly and placed it also on her cheek. The fur tickled my finger; I brushed back her blonde hair so I could see both of her green eyes. They were bright and honest; my eyes got stuck with hers. A tear slipped down my cheek, _she died in your arms, you're daydreaming! _a voice yelled at me in my head. She noticed this and a look of sadness passed over her face. She brushed it away and sighed before looking down to my other hand, the necklace still tightly wrapped around my fingers. She pulled it off and I didn't move. She unlocked the strap and wrapped it around my wrist before locking it again. Then she turned and started to walk away.

"Lex, wait don't go." I called running after her

"Ace, I haven't left you" She said stopping; I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me not wanting to let go. She leant to my ear

"Ace, I told you. I will always love you. Just because you can't see or hear me doesn't mean I'm not there"

"Please Lex, don't leave me" I begged the tears sliding down my cheek, my arms pulling her even tighter. She also let a tear slip down her cheek.

"Ace!" Duck and Tech's voice broke through my sobbing.

_Then from on high,_

_Somewhere in the distance,  
There's a voice that calls,_

_Remember who your are,  
If you lose yourself,_

_Your courage soon will follow_

Lexi slipped out of my arms and stood by the gap in the hedge.

"Please Ace, lead the team for me. I'll be back one day. Just please be safe"

"Lexi, you're not leaving me. Please" I reached out to grab her but she vanished. I brought my arm back and noticed the necklace still there. I turned and the stars seemed to shine brighter. I smiled as the rest of team came through behind

"Lex I'm gonna make you proud" I whispered as if in reply the necklace seemed to glow. I brushed away a tear and turned around. The rest of the team were panting.

_So be strong tonight_

[Normal POV]

Duck and Tech finally managed to look up at their leader, still panting. The rabbit rolled his eyes and a smirk lit up his face.

"What happened?" Ace asked grinning. Duck rolled his eyes and sat down

"Rev touched the jet and it exploded… Slam got his mouth stuck in a jar…" Ace said thinking

"No… we came to see if you were ok"

"No I'm not ok" Ace said a fake angry look on his face

"Your not?" Duck asked

"veoptgop why? Dfowpetjk" Slam asked

"Because my team is really unfit, it's unbelievable. How are we gonna stop bad guys if my team can't run down a hill without getting out of breath" Duck puffed out his chest indignantly.

"I don't know what on earth you mean Ace" then Duck turned to the coyote

"Told ya he'll be fine" The four anthros burst out laughing and Duck shrugged before laughing.

"Come on guys we better get some rest otherwise we'll never get those baddies back in the pokey" Ace replied the rest of the team relaxed. Their leader was finally happy again.

_Remember who you are,  
Ya you're a soldier now,_

_Fighting in a battle,  
To be free once more,_

_Ya that's worth fighting for!_

Meanwhile

A man stood in a dimly lit room, a black gem built into his armour pulsing. A woman ran into the room and stood in front of him and bowed.

"Have you found what I asked for?" the man asked

"We have found the villains you asked for and now we know the location of the gem of life master" the woman replied bowing even lower.

"Have the robots ready for upgrading, this time I don't want them to be even touched by those pathetic Loonatics"

"Of course master, I'm sorry they disappointed you. We… I didn't mean for them to kill the female instead of the leader of the Loonatics" she gushed dropping to the floor

"Wait say that again… did you say the female was killed"

"Yes my master. I am sorry I failed you" the man turned to her and held out his hand to her

"Actually, I think this could work well in our favour. Down grade the robots instead" Confused the woman nodded

"Of course master" She ran from the room. The man turned back around.

"This time, I will not be stopped and the rabbit will help me" he laughed and the lights blew out.

There we go Chapter 3 up. Hope you liked it = ]

The song is Sound the Bugle and belongs to Bryan Adams.

I promise it's going to get a bit better action wise but I'm saying no more. By the way if any of you could think of a great baddy name for my villain that would be handy… I'm not very good at thinking of names. Either way I will try to get Chapter 4 up soon.

Now go and press that button below, you know the one… with Review on…

_Freedom Fighter = ]_


	5. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry, I haven't up-dated in such a long time. So I'll get on and write loads of new chapters for you. Enjoy :).

Chapter 4.

Tech sighed; it was the first time in a long time, a happy sigh. He glanced at the holographic newspaper's bold headline. "Loonatics back on Form. The Heroes are back."

"Good isn't it" Duck said in between slurping his drink.

"Very good" Tech replied. A door opened and Ace walked in, his eyes bright.

"Good morning Chief" Tech smiled, he liked saying that. It brought him comfort.

"Morning Tech, Rev and Duck" the leader acknowledged his team. Slam followed Ace before wandering to the fridge. A companionable silence followed. Until the alarm sounded.

"Loonatics, we have a problem. Someone has broken into a high security part of a museum-"

"A museum…seriously Zadavia" Duck commented

"Duck" Ace warned, then to Zadavia "We'll check it out"

"Good Luck"

"Loonatics. Let's jet" Ace called.

Later…

Cautiously the Loonatics headed down to the lower level. Ace motioned to the others and they split up. Covering all possible exits, Ace paused glancing down. Gently sliding his sword out, he felt his heart begin to speed back up. Then he noticed the glint of silver around his wrist, he smiled. Snapping back to his senses, he pressed himself into one of the walls, listening.

"Ready Loonatics?" he asked into his communicator. The mumbled agreements spurred Ace to flip neatly over the side. He landed before raising the sword in front of his face.

The other Loonatics, moved on knowing they had to complete their assigned tasks. Tech and Duck slipped into the security area, quietly Tech slipped the bolts off, before a clang alerted them to someone's movement. Duck formed up to of his orbs, and waited. Suddenly a metal claw smashed through the wall, Tech and Duck dived out of the way in a panic, they both recognised Lexi's murderers. Duck launched several orbs in a storm of anger…to their amazement the robots collapsed and didn't get up. Tech quickly moved to the panel and began to input the lock down code, while Duck poked at the robots with a metal pole.

"I don't get it" Duck mumbled confused.

Rev paused, while scanning the rooms. Before picking up his target once again, he rocketed off. Slam bounded after the roadrunner, enjoying the speed at which they were working. It gave him a sense of pride. Rev laughed at Slam's expression, before he slammed into a robot. Its blade swung around aimlessly. Slam let out a growl, before bringing his fist into its neck joint. It snapped off easily, without warning the robot collapsed in a big heap. Rev sped off, trying to make up for the lost time. Praying Ace was okay on his own.

Ace glanced around. Pausing, seeing no enemies. Was it safe? He kept his sword poised. Narrowing his eyes, he saw three huge outlines moving towards him. As quickly as one of the shadows fired it claw, Ace stepped forwards, swinging his blade through the wires. It snapped off harmlessly.

"It seems today, you have a better reaction time." A voice mused from somewhere around him.

"I'm always on form, doc" Ace replied coolly

"Always?" The voice questioned, Ace hesitated. He then whirled around. The man hovered above one of the displays, his hand placed on one of the ancient jewellery pieces.

"Rings. A sign of trust and loyalty. Don't you think?" The man said a hint of sadness in his tone. Ace didn't reply.

"But we need to find that person first, someone close and understanding." He continued. Ace assessed his enemy. The man was tall, about a few centimetres taller than himself, there were hints of a muscular build.

"Well, I'm glad I met such a lovely villain" Ace answered coldly. The man ignored him, and then finished just as casually as he had before.

"Someone we love, who we would lay our lives down for, and they would give their lives as well." Ace tensed. The man smirked, knowing he had hit a sore spot. Ace tensed up, then noticed the bracelet and focused on relaxing. He knew anger would only make him clumsy. Clumsy he couldn't afford. Suddenly the rest of the Loonatics came bursting into the room. The man's smile grew.

"Hello there" he said welcoming; the Loonatics flicked a gaze over to Ace. Ace shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't look so surprised. You underestimate me." The villain laughed. The other Loonatics wanted to laugh, but something about him scared them. The villain then smiled again calming himself.

"Anyway I must be off, but I know we will meet again"

"Listen here pal, you cant-"Duck began but the villain began to glow all over his body. A black fire began to swirl around him, all of the lights smashing.

"Loonatics move!" Ace shouted as the team scattered. Part of the ball of fire ripped apart, flames rocketing towards Ace, covering all ways of escape. Ace moved his hand in front of his face. _I tried Lexi _he thought. As if in response a nearby display exploded, as one of the necklaces smashed out. It hovered in front of him, as the flames destroyed everything in their path, it got brighter. A white circle of light emitted from it, blocking the flames from their target. Ace stared at it. While the other Loonatics, ran forwards to find them staring at a dark black cloud left by the villain. Hesitantly Ace lifted his hand out, the humming from the small gem sent a comforting feel over him. Then as if nothing had happened, it dulled and fell to the ground. Quickly the rabbit's reflexes enabled him to catch it, and his grip tightened.

"Chief, are you ok?" Tech's worried voice broke the stunned silence.

"Yeah, I hope so…but who was 'dat?" he asked, confused. Everyone searched each other's faces; praying, hoping that someone knew. However, the silence continued.

"grpjgropgjdthd?" Slam questioned, sniffing around slightly, he had longed for a good fight but instead he could sense something familiar.

"Yeah, I agree. Lets go an' find Zadavia" Ace stated, taking charge again. Five jetpacks ignited as four anthros began to head back to the base, but Ace paused looking at the plain gem that rested in his hand, then still clutching the gem in his firm grasp, he lifted into the air and rocketed after the others. However he was confused as, for a moment it was like he had felt Lexi standing in front of him…


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks to the on-going reviewers, it makes me smile to see people enjoying this ;) I'm just sorry it takes so long =(

Disclaimer: All of the Loonatics and their belongings belong to Warner Bros.

Btw this is quite a short chapter… the story will get longer I promise^^

Chapter 5

Just when things had settled back down, a greater mystery had unfolded. The mysterious villain that Ace had faced had vanished, but the confusion he left behind had brought much more hesitance to the group. However, the small dim gem brought some comfort.

"I don't understand…" Duck spoke after a silence.

"No one does" Tech mumbled, his mind desperately trying tp piece the puzzle together, but whenever he found a possible link something else made no sense. It was a continuous circle. Again, the silence fell over.

Suddenly the hologram began flashing and buzzing, with a lack of enthusiasm Duck activated the hologram. Zadavia flickered onto the screen. She paused, watching the almost lifeless group in front of her. The one thing the guys needed right now was a female, who'd support and encourage them. She knew it was hard for them, but her job did not make it any easier.

"Loonatics, I have so more information which might be of help" She said, but there was barely a flicker of emotion in the group.

"Loonatics, this is important this could be a life thre-"

"We know already, it's always the same life threatening situation!" Duck grumbled

"We _lost_ someone Zadavia, we lost Lexi. An' tha' bad guy knows somethin' 'bout that. But he's vanished, and we know nothin. We can't compete against that" Ace faced the hologram, defiance written on his weary face.

"He's not leaving any clues, no patterns. The structure is too confusing, even for me. I don't understand. What villain kills one of our team mates, breaks into a museum and flies away with nothing at all?" Tech continued, rubbing his eyes as he tried to think out a solution.

"This doesn't mean you can give up, you're heroes. The whole town re-" Zadavia had begun, but Ace had leant over and pressed the disconnect button. The hologram whirred, then switched off.

"We were heroes." Ace said quietly.

"Aomofpfefkoddss?" Slam whimpered

"Yeah, I'm not doing this anymore Slam" Ace said standing up, and moving towards the door.

"I'm not risking any more lives" he finished, a few murmurs of agreement followed.

For the next hour, the former members gathered their personal belongings together. Tech also went through the building and began to shut the weapons and the base down. The whole base was filled with silence, from the Loonatics to the building itself. The only noise was the drumming from the rain onto the windows, the rain casting shadows down the wall filled the area with a dark cloud, preventing any light coming in.

Slowly, they met in the old living room; each of them placed their uniforms back. Ace placed his, he briefly glanced to what would have been Lexi's new uniform. He turned away, picking up his suitcase as the small gem from the museum fell silently to the floor.

"Come on guys. Let's go" Ace said, and then the former band of heroes began to walk down to the lift and back to a normal life.

After a few minutes, their footsteps had died away. A creak many levels below symbolised that the proud doors of the Loonatics base had been shut and locked. Through the dark shadows, a small humming noise began to erupt, it continued to grow louder and louder. Then, like nothing had happened the sound died away.

A shockwave blew from the living room, all the glass protecting the tired uniforms smashed away. Little pieces of glass dusted the floor, like a layer of thin snow. As the small gem Ace had dropped glowed once again. It lifted into the air, before moving forwards. The pink uniform still had a thin layer of glass protecting it, but that was reduced to dust as another pulse from the gem flew out.

"Hmm…it isn't what I'm used to normally, but I'm sure it'll do" a voice from gem spoke thoughtfully. The gem settled into the pink triangle, its pulses now causing the armour to glow. A wispy form could be seen in the uniform, pale silver eyes in the head of the suit. The eyes scanned around the room slowly, absorbing every detail.

"The Loonatics? Where are they? They shouldn't have left, they were supposed to be in this tower! Oh my sweet dear, you shall regret doing this." The voice whispered.

"But first…this armour needs upgrading" The voice announced smiling to itself, into the dark. Outside of the tower, an eerie pink light broke through the windows. A small pink triangle embedded onto the remaining glass.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Loonatics Unleashed, or their related elements. But I do own the OC's brought in! (Layol and the main bad guy) hurray! :D

Chapter 6

Ace sighed. He placed another can onto the shelf, part of this felt wrong. However he ignored the protests in his head. After all, he must be mad. Surely? He couldn't have seen Lexi that day; it must have been what he wanted to see. False hope, false confidence…_everything was fake _he thought angrily. He wasn't a hero, that enemy at the museum must have known that. That enemy had managed to _kill_ one of his team mates, if he was the supposed 'hero' how could someone die on his watch? Well, his former watch. People had the police, not 'heroes'.

Duck sat at the edge of the pool, his chin resting on his hand while the other hand flicked the water. Orange glowing water caused the surrounding water to explode. Panicking Duck grabbed his net and separated the goo, before it faded away. He didn't need these powers anymore, what if he was to die? He couldn't die; he was the greatest hero… He swelled his chest in pride, until he noticed the net floating on the water. _Correction, I am the greatest pool cleaner… _he thought sighing, as he pointlessly flicked the net and he returned to staring into the water.

Tech coughed, smoke filling his senses. Waving his hand, he opened a nearby door letting the cool, clean air wash in. His ideas weren't working, much to his frustration. A burnt out box sat on a lab table, smoke pouring out of a hole. He had built the bikes, the weapons, the transport, the little gadgets, and the armour. He flinched, it hurt to think now. He pulled a cup out, filling it with some water and sat down. Rubbing his forehead, he hated headaches. He just wanted to invent, to create...to save people. He buried his head in his hands and whimpered.

The TV flicked continuously in front of Rev, he was zipping through the millions of channels in mere seconds. Seeds rested untouched on the sofa beside him, a bored expression making up his face. His mother zipped through, she was happy to see him back. But her smile faded, this wasn't the son she knew. She moved to him.

"Why-not-have-some-food-or-play-some-nice-new-video-games-doesn't-that-sound-good?"

"No-thanks-mum-I'm-fine" Rev sighed, flipping himself so he was laying onto the sofa. Still flicking through the channels, he gave up and threw the remote away. Instead he stared up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

Slam could smell the pizza, but he couldn't taste it. The kitchen felt strange to him, he didn't like strange. He sat in an emptying café, a large pizza centred in the table in front of him. But he merely flicked at the melted cheese on the top, he didn't want to eat.

Screams suddenly filled the streets, as frantic people dashed for safety. Two towering creatures smashed their way down the city. They resembled large black hounds, but they stood well over twelve foot high. Large fangs decorated the mouth as growls and snarls erupted out of the chests. Instead of eyes, the creatures had black smoke pouring out each of the socket. One of them howled devastatingly, as windows on nearby buildings smashed to pieces, sending the glass pouring onto the people below. Even the hover cars were not safe; the other hound lunged upwards burying its teeth into a hover lorry.

The oil that was in the lorry fell like black rain to the earth, causing people to slip over. It turned into chaos as screaming people pushed others into the black liquid in order to try and get themselves out. A cloaked man flew between the two hounds, guiding them gently in a general direction. He knew the great Loonatics had backed down; he just needed to find his desired object.

Ace looked out of the shop window as four enormous paws thundered through; he fought the urge to run out, so he began to turn around. Until he noticed a Loonatic styled uniform shoot through after the creatures.

"What the hell?" he whispered pressing himself to the window, to try and catch a glance.

Tech gripped onto the chair as the floor shook violently, a large black dog's head rumbled past the window. As it passed the windows cracked then exploded, he yelped as some of the glass flew into him. Quickly he pulled it out, as his abilities healed the wounds. Standing up, he watched as one of _his _jetpacks zoomed through.

Duck had been thrown into the pool, head first. His feet waggled in the air has he pushed himself back upright. He gasped as a large hound smashed the life guard's stand to pieces. A familiar looking person flew through, but he couldn't clearly tell who it was.

Rev had seen the rampage on TV, but since he was no longer a hero the most he could was watch and wait. He had tried to focus his GPS ability on the mysterious pursuer but it had failed, like the person knew what he would do. He grabbed his jacket, pulled it on and zoomed to Tech. As Rev shot through the remains of a street, he noticed Slam. Rev stopped in front of Slam, and in a simple nod the two hurried to find their coyote friend.

The cloaked man paused, his visions showing Rev and Slam running to find the rest of their former team.

"The Loonatics are considering meeting up? And they didn't invite me…How rude!" he laughed, his eyes glowed darkly. His eyes also had the smoke-like substance dancing in front of his eyes, as he held his hand up the hounds looked up and turned around.

"You are not part of the reunion!" a voice called, the black and pink armour hovered, carried by a jetpack raised in front of the man.

"Layol? What a…unusual surprise" the man said "You have a new suit? You're looking a bit thinner my dear"

"Don't you recognise it? It was the Loonatic you murdered" she said darkly, the man smirked in response.

"Well, I'm surprised you possessed that load of junk, it'll just make my job of killing you too easy" he said calmly, his eyes flashed and one of the hounds sent a shockwave up. But the spirit-like substance retaliated just as quickly, forming a shield in front. The two forces collided with friction and electricity sparked into life.

"Ryisem! Give up! Before it's too late" the spirit yelled aiming the suit into a defensive position.

"Give me that damn gem then!" he yelled back, fury filling into his attack as black lightning ruptured out. The suit rippled in the blow, before hurtling through the air. The spirit loosened its grip in the suit unwillingly, it flew out of the gaps the armour broke into pieces and fell back to the ground below.

Five anthros stood watching the conflict, shock on each of their faces.

"That couldn't have been her could it…?" Ace spoke aloud, his whole body tense.

"Heads up!" A voice called, all of the Loonatics looked up. Ace reacted too late and a large silver falcon collided with him.

"My apologies rabbit" the falcon said, and flapped its delicate wings so that it lifted into the air.

"Its bunny, and the name's Ace" he corrected, narrowing his eyes at this unknown thing in front of them.

"My apologies again, I was looking for someone and got side tracked"

"fonfgewopgtphys?" Slam garbled, staring at the bird.

"The Loonatics, they are the only ones that can help with my…problem" the falcon spoke slowly "But I have yet to find them, so I'd best be off" it continued.

"What do you need them for?" Tech asked, as he helped Ace stand up.

"I have a solution to a problem of theirs; it would also solve one of my problems too"

"What problem?" the coyote pressed.

"Getting rid of Ryisem" The falcon stated. Tech paused, thinking. He had heard that name before. Then it clicked, it was the name Zadavia had given them. It was the name of the man who attacked them in the museum and sent the robots who'd killed Lexi.

"Well, you've found them" tech said, watching as the falcon analysed him.

"I don't think so, if you are suggesting that you and your friends are those heroes you're better off telling someone who doesn't get offended. I've never seen such disgrace" The falcon casually replied, it was waiting for a reaction.

"If you don't like it, then you can try and fight your lil buddy on your own. We don't have time for games." Duck snapped back, nobody damaged his pride and got away with it.

"It's impossible for you to be them; I heard they were brave, strong, determined warriors. Not some little wannabes" the falcon smirked. Duck's eyes turned a bright orange as two fiery blobs formed in his hands. Slam also growled, his eyes turning purple. A tornado flared around his feet.

Each Loonatic's powers formed around them and their eyes flashing into their mighty colour. All except for Ace. He looked up to the falcon, and glared.

"We don't have anything that we used to, but that doesn't mean we aren't heroes." He began hesitantly but now, he stood confidently as the bright yellow filled his alert eyes.

"Oh, but you do. You have me. If you're prepared for risks again, Ryisem will not be patient for you" the falcon smiled, then the smile faded as a dark, saddened look filled its perfect features.

"Let's go back to the base, we'll need a plan" Tech said thinking.

Ryisem growled, throwing an attack into the mirrors in his room. They smashed, and sent black glass down onto the floor. A demonic hound glanced up at its master.

"Why must she always intervene? Layol will bring those fools back together. It will be the end of me! I need that gem, and she has it!" he yelled furiously, the hounds whimpered and scuttled under a table.

Then he noticed one of the parts of a broken robot, its blade was stained with dry blood. A small piece of a black and pink uniform dangled at its edge. He hovered over, and picked it up.

"Hmm, perhaps the leader would consider getting the gem if I offered something he couldn't refuse" Ryisem laughed, his smoke-like magic covered the uniform piece and then created outline of a female bunny, which stood in the shadows in front of him. Its eyes and a triangle on its chest ignited in a poisoned dark pink.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I still only own my OC's, all of the Loonatics and their elements belong to Warner Bros.

Thanks for the reviews too, it made my day :D Btw, the POV's will change a lil (but it will say when and who)

Chapter 7 

(Ace's POV)

It felt weird I guess, I felt weird. I was flying along through a wrecked city, with some strange creature using Lexi's armour. For a moment, I thought she had come back. I thought she had come back for me. Guess that's not my luck huh. I never used to have fantasies like this, not when I was little. Reality kept people alive. Perhaps that was why this has happened; I let myself drift too far. I thought heroes couldn't die, couldn't feel pain or grief. I never thought heroes could lose everything, even themselves.

"She's very proud Ace" a voice called from my left suddenly, snapping my mind back. I must have had a quizzical look on my face, as Layol sighed.

"I mean Lexi" I tensed

"How do you know about her?" I whispered, I could feel the anger being to creep into my veins.

"She's one of the main things you think about…"

"You're inside my head?" I was starting to get real angry, subconsciously my fingers curled into my palm. She must have seen, or read my anger as she fidgeted and then looked away from me.

"I can't control it, it just happens. I guess fate decided upon that" The anger I had felt began to cool down so rapidly I could see shapes dancing in front of my eyes. Black suddenly began to cover my vision; I shook my head as I swerved heavily right.

(Normal POV)

Tech looked up briefly, his eyes widened. Ace had suddenly dived to the right, a hover-van shot upwards to avoid him.

"Ace? Where are you going? What are you doing? Watch Out!" Shouts of fear and confusion filled the air. The jetpack showed no signs of slowing as it ploughed into the rush hour traffic. Rev rocketed forwards, his red eyes glowing a brilliant red. None of the anthros saw the enormous hounds re-appearing behind them.

Ryisem rose up, in response the clouds began to turn dark and lightning danced across the sky. He smiled; the screams of the people below pleased him. His black cloak bellowed around him, as gusts of winds raced into the streets around.

"Go on little ones, have some fun" he grinned as he pulled the chains off of the hounds. Their howls erupted out as their dull eyes burned with the magical smoke and snarls ripped from their chests. They wasted no time in chasing after the small anthro group.

The smell of fire and burning had soaked into the air, and black plumes of smoke poured out of buildings. Water hoses attempted to douse the flames, but it was all in vain. Screams for help, and responding shouts called back. Rumblings from smaller buildings caused more chaos, no one knew if they could keep standing. The Loonatics, covered in soot and metal chips were fighting valiantly. However, Ace was not there.

Layol knew already how to control the armor, despite it not being hers. She longed to fight Ryisem, but without the Loonatics he would easily silence her protests. She kept herself low in the smoke, zipping through streets. Her gaze fell upon the city; well it should have been a city. The black, wrecked remains barely stood as burnt out, crushed cars littered the cracked roads. A single tear slipped out _Ryisem; please stop this madness _her mind whispered. She didn't stop though; instead she kept going until fields were the only things in front of her. A huge impact had bruised the ground, not wasting anytime she flew down.

The broken remains of a jetpack, still burning decorated the destroyed area. Layol moved her form out of the armor, the falcon re appearing. It danced along the ground, looking for any movement. A figure lay just ahead.

"Ace!" she called, landing herself on the ground near to him. He didn't move.

"Ace, come on. You can't be dead too…" Layol pleaded, and she flipped him onto his back. His eyes were closed, and he was barely breathing. Layol put a shaky hand to his neck pressing to find a form of life. A small pulse flickered weakly. Layol looked down, and moved her arm to his arm.

Then she noticed something, a small piece of metal was stuck in his arm. She recognized it easily; it was part of blade that was used on robots of her era. She pulled it out quickly; she knew that it did mental damage. The poison drove the person delusional, created mood swings which forced ridiculous ideas of thought. Most of all, it turned the person against themselves, to the point they'd kill themselves or do something as serious as that.

Ace suddenly groaned, his hand moving slowly to his forehead. It felt like he'd been sleeping for ages, although he ached everywhere. His eyes refocused, Layol was looking at him sympathetically.

"Feel better?" she whispered, at least it explained why he was acting out of character.

"Yeah…" Ace replied forcing a smile, and then the smile faded as he stared into the smoke. A black cloak's outline could be seen in the dense smoke.

"What's the matter?" Layol asked, Ace narrowed his eyes.

"Your friend has come to say hello" he spoke, confused Layol turned around. Ryisem stood there, a smirk on his face. His eyes were calm, showing no hints to anything more. The armour Layol used whizzed to her, and she turned into wisps before straightening up in the armour. She took a defensive position in front of Ace.

"Move Layol"

"Only when you leave"

"I just came to talk to Ace, not hurt him"

"I don't talk to people as twisted as you" Ace replied coolly, trying to stand up.

"Is that so?" Ryisem spoke, just as casually. His eyes flashed, Layol suddenly screamed and her falcon form exploded out of the armour before bursting apart in a flash of light.

"No! Layol!" Ace yelled, his eyes burned bright yellow and his Guardian Strike Sword flashed out.

"You've gone far enough!" Ace yelled at him, Ace lunged forward the Strike Sword blasting an angry blast of lightning towards Ryisem. Ryisem's smirk grew, and he lifted his hand up. The lightning collided with a black bolt of lightning. Sparks flew in between the two, as the opposites fought for dominance.

Ace didn't wait another second; he flipped over the lightning and slashed his sword down into Ryisem. Ace froze, he tried to pull his sword out, but it was stuck inside Ryisem. Ryisem smashed his fist into Ace's cheekbone. A sickening crunch filled the air, as the rabbit flew backwards. Ryisem strode forward, pulling out Ace's sword in the process. Without letting Ace get back up, Ryisem grabbed Ace's leg before throwing him into a nearby fence.

That wasn't going to stop him, Ace pushed himself back up. A roar exploded from behind him, and Ace soon found himself crushed on the floor. One of the hounds was snarling at him, and kept its paw weighing Ace down.

"Hear me out Ace" Ryisem spoke calmly, standing over Ace.

"Why bother asking? You're gonna speak anyway" Ace replied coldly.

"I thought you'd want to know. It's about Lexi" Ryisem shrugged, before turning around.

"…What about her? The fact that you murdered her?" Ace said, struggling against the hound's weight.

"No, the fact that you can bring her back" Ryisem stated

"She's dead, she can't come back" Ace whispered, just then the small gem from the museum crashed to the ground in front of Ace.

"This gem is very powerful, but most of it goes to the users desires. It even has control over life and death" Ryisem spoke, lust dancing in his eyes.

"You're just like any other bad guy, greedy"

"Haha, No I'm not greedy. I just want my form back. I've had enough of this mortal appearance"

"Well do it then, I'll still kill you" Ace yelled, a flash of impatience flickered over Ryisem's features.

"I can't touch it" he snarled, and then he coughed and calmed himself. "That's why I need you to give me my form back, you could use it too"

"I don't trust you" Ace replied coldly, in response Ryisem clicked his fingers. The hound quietened down, and moved off of Ace.

"Try it; you think I'll be able to grab it off of you?" Ace narrowed his eyes, and picked the gem up. It glowed brightly, and then the glow formed into thin wisps. Ace watched, as the wisps began to dance in the Lexi's broken suit. The armour flew upwards, and formed together. Gently, an outline appeared within it. Ace's blue eyes widened as a pair of emerald eyes locked with his, blonde hair fluttered down. Whilst a slender, feminine body flexed into the armour.

"Lexi…" Ace whispered, his eyes turning as white as the glowing of the gem.

"Wasn't I right?" Ryisem whispered into Ace's ear. "You could make you both immortal, live together as one" Ryisem continued to whisper. "But grant me my desire too" Ace turned mesmerised by the power fluxing in the gem.

The gem flashed, a black haze surrounded Ryisem. Spikes ripped through the back of the cloak, and claws shredded out of his hands and feet. He began to grow in size, and the ripped remains of the cloak fell to the ground. Scaly black skin covered every inch of the growing mass of reptile. His neck stretched, and horns sheathed out of his forehead. Wings spread from his back; Ryisem lifted his demonic dragon head to the sky and let out a deafening roar. His teeth glistening with blood that looked fresh smiled down at the bewitched leader. His black and cold eyes surveyed the destroyed land, the mist burning darkly around the blood red iris in the centre of his eye.

"Thank you Ace" the dragon laughed, it spoke as if many voices were speaking at once. Ace walked, hypnotised to Lexi. His brushed his hand along her cheekbone; he could feel the soft fur under his hand. He leant into her neck, smelling the sweet aroma. His hand continued to move along her cheek, and then he felt wet fur. He straightened, and looked at her. Tears poured out of her eyes, and spilled down her cheeks.

"Why did you do this?" she sobbed

"I wanted you back…I never got to tell and show you how much you meant to me Lex" Ace whispered, horrified by her reaction. He'd expected to hug and kiss her, not her to cry about being together.

"I wanted to be with you, but you think I wanted to be at the city's cost?" She whispered also, but her gaze was on the city. Ace followed her gaze, and froze. If the city had been barely alive before, then it was dead now. Skeletal structures of building lay crumpled, no hovercraft flew and no one moved. It was silent.

"Ace, if I had known this was what you were going to do…I…I wouldn't have moved in front of that robot" Lexi sobbed, and she pushed Ace away. "We were the city's protectors. You were their idol, their hero. And you kill them all for me"

"But…Lex…I need you, the team-"

"Wake up Ace! What team? They're gone, you killed them" Ace went quiet, a single lone tear slipped down his broken and bruised cheek.

"It can't be"

"But it is" Ryisem suddenly burst out laughing, his demonic laughter filling the deathly air. "You gave up their faith, their love…all for me, how sweet!" Ryisem continued to laugh. Ace looked at Lexi, then he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I know this is what you want…" he whispered to her, and then he launched the gem into the air. Ryisem's laughter cut short.

"You idiots catch it!" he screamed at the hounds. It was too late; the gem plummeted to the ground and smashed into pieces. Ryisem launched into the air, but he wasn't quick enough. A hurricane exploded from the fragments of gem, and plume of light shot upwards. The dark storm clouds faded, and the sun burst through.

Ryisem screamed as the wind from the gem ripped his form apart. Within a few seconds all of the destruction Ryisem had caused had also been ripped apart. Ace opened his eyes as soon as he had felt the wind die down, thin pink wisps spread from him. Without waiting, he melted the remaining pieces with his laser vision.

"Time to go home" Ace smiled, and launched through to the base. The city had been exactly the way it was before Ryisem had took over, already people were chatting and kids were laughing and chasing each other. Ace continued to go forward, in no time he was in his living room in the base, surrounded by all his friends and his team mates.

"We know you gave Lexi up…" Tech spoke suddenly

"Yeah, we're sor-"

"Don't apologize you guys, if anyone's gonna apologize it should be me. I nearly lost all of ya, I nearly killed my family…" he spoke "But it's ok, Ryisem is gone. We won't have to worry about him anymore. It's the end" He smiled

"If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have been reunited" Tech smiled also

"Somewhere, Lex is smilin' too" Ace said as he looked out of the window, as the stars glittered over the sleeping city.


	9. Chapter 8

Thanks for all of the reviews again :D

Sorry about the long delay, I hope you enjoy this chapter =)

Chapter 8

The chattering had slowed into a lazy mumble, while the stars had possessed the night sky in a bright, hopeful glow. Ace stood proud on the balcony, his fur and ears rippled softly in the evening wind. The happy laughter from his team-mates filled the air. Ace smiled, but his gaze was not with his friends, but _her_ statue.

Lexi's proud, defiant pose stood, immortal in white marble. Her arms were crossed, but her head looked upwards and her gaze watched into the depth of the moving sky. The statue stood in the middle of Acmetropolis- she was protecting her city.

Fading poppies amongst other flowers decorated the base, with small scraps of messages and thanks tucked neatly into the flowers. Perhaps it was to stop the wind carrying them off.

"She was popular with the citizens wasn't she" A voice snapped Ace out of his gaze. He turned, then his eyes widened. Layol stood away from him, also watching the statue.

"Layol…how are you he-"

"I was bound to the gem, when it broke I could be myself again. My essence was trapped in the gem, but my powers have gone too"

"Ryisem didn't kill you?"

"No, he just forced the light bond I had with the gem further away. You could say he teleported me"

"He's dead now"

"Yes…" Layol whispered, Ace could see sadness in her eyes.

"He was killing innocent people…I would have taken him to prison…" Ace trailed off, he didn't know what to say. He hadn't ever killed someone before, let alone trying to explain why he did it.

"I don't doubt what you did, it was necessary. But it's difficult now…"

"I don't understand what you are saying"

"He had killed my future husband…I came here solely for revenge but you took care of it…" she whispered, her gaze looking at the floor.

"He killed your love" Ace stated stunned, horrified.

"Yes. But, the man I love just left me physically. I know he's still watching for me" She said smiling gently, and then she flinched. "I owe you a lot; I was stuck in that gem until I had to fight Ryisem. However, you handled it far better…at an ultimate price" Layol paused.

"It wasn't a price, she chose to do it"

"You could have brought her back to you"

"At the cost of the entire city and its people, she didn't want that. Neither of us did"

"But…what if it wasn't at the city or the people's cost?"

"What?" Ace whispered, turning to face Layol.

"You have a small part of the gem, it got stuck in your armor…you could use it quick enough to bring her back" Ace's eyes widened, and then he smiled. He lifted out the small piece, then he stepped forward and pushed it into Layol's hand.

"No" he smiled softly

"What?" Layol gasped

"She deserves to rest in peace"

"But you're in love with each other, nothing will happen!" Ace's smile fell slightly

"Yes, but we don't have to be with each other to be in love. She's never left me" he stated, indicating Lexi's bracelet he wore. "Use that power to get back home, your family must be very worried" he smiled again, before heading inside. Layol stared after him, then her gaze fell to the fragment of gem in her hand.

"Fine, I've made my decision" she stated boldly and faded into the night sky.

For the first time in a while, Ace slept peacefully. The city had fell silent, but it wasn't a bad, worried or scared silence. It was a happy, peaceful silence. It showed signs of recovery and new life with new beginnings. Things fell back in line quickly; the whole team now struggled to get up from bed. Let alone getting to the morning coffee they always needed.

However, the alarm always broke the sleepiness. Now, it took no time at all for the Loonatics to arrive to scenes, enemies were much more wary. In this early morning case, all the robbers had time to recognize was the roar of five motorbikes and the interior of a police van.

Clapping and cheers filled the air, as the Loonatics lifted back into the sky. People were proud of their heroes; young children clinging to their parents stared in amazement at the majestic sight. Everything was perfect, but perfection rarely lasts. A scream pierced the happy mood.

The scream spread, like a disease as more people screamed and more people ran for cover. The Loonatics spun the bikes around, but could only stare in a mixture of horror and amazement at the sight.

A slim, black jet raced down to the ground. Its streamlined body perfectly angled, the engines hissing and whining with the guns eager to fire. The engines let out another roar as it approached the ground. But it was Tech that realized something quickly, as the morning light bounced off of the jets broad chest, the Loonatics symbol flashed unmistakably on the front.

"My baby!" Tech gasped to Ace's left, Ace rolled his eyes. However the jet showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, it sped up, as if adrenaline was pulsing through the wires.

"Get away from the statue" Someone screamed below, as people scattered from the base of the memorial. Time slowed in Ace's eyes. The white stone immortal shattered like glass as the jet smashed mercilessly through it. Ace pushed his hover-bike into the next gear, with a snarl from the engine it raced after the deranged jet.

Ace pulled to the side heavily, as bits of white marble flew delicately like snow off of the jet's front. The jet was much lower now, but the statue had left another impact. Smoke was beginning to curl and claw from the around the armor of the jet. _Now, where to park it?_ He mused, before he noticed something shifting on its wing.

His laser vision hit the gun just as it began to whir. _Only one gun_ he glanced to the jet, almost as if in reply lasers shot from both wings. Ace pulled up sharply, the lasers following his angle.

A child on the street below watched in fascination from the protection of a metal building. The black jet resembled a large black falcon, as wisps of fire trailed off of the wings. Behind it came the small blackbird, with a yellow mark flaring defiantly. Lightning rippled in between the two, as lasers hit each other and the metal producers. Sparks from the conflicts fell innocently to the ground, it looked like neon coloured snow to the children.

Suddenly, all of the lasers fired a bright attack; a powerful shot of white energy came hurtling upwards to Ace. He was ready this time, his lasers blasted down, as the red intertwined with the white. A loud roar echoed out, as the shockwave detonated in a fierce last attack from the exhausted engine.

It was lucky they had managed to get to the outskirts of the city; however the shockwave was mostly a bang and a blast of wind tainted with smoke, however Ace hadn't noticed the small amount of the white energy attack, mixing with traces of his own attack was now whirring above him in the clouds. Ace was watching as, in a graceful curve, the jet ploughed into the ground quite a distance away.

He raced downwards to the broken jet lying on the floor, a rumble echoed from the sky above him. Without warning a flash of lightning sparked into life from the depths of the clouds. Rain began to pour down, causing people to run back into the building. It also sealed off the jet and Ace from the city.

Ace turned slightly, the water running around the edges of his helmet. In the centre of the twisting black clouds, a bright sphere was forming. The plain water, was now glowing as it fell to earth. Ace looked at the rain in the palm of his hand, it sparkled and thousands of colours danced within it. _What the hell is going on? _He thought, confused.

He realized the orb was swelling in the clouds, it wasn't small. It must have been at least half of the size of the jet. The clouds fluttered across its surface, creating dancing shadows along the ground. A crack burst from one side, and light escaped it. The crack continued to move along the fragile surface.

Until a shape burst from its centre, the shockwave exploded outwards sending the clouds out in a circle.Ace turned and raced downwards, the water had limited his vision, and he had no method of attacking. Blind attacks were worse than sitting still.

The wind whistled past him, as another black hover-bike shot past him. Realizing they were over taking, he slammed into the next gear.Two small black hover-bikes raced across the ground, the rain outlining them due to their speed. The figure looked to Ace, before pushing the bike on again. Ace responded by going just as fast. From a distance it looked like two shadows were dancing along the ground. Ace grinned, he liked this speed.

A loud grating sound caused him to look down, before the hover-bike flipped upwards. The hover-bike's back had caught on the ground, and now hurled twisting through the air. Ace was fighting to pull himself out, but the twisting was making it difficult to keep focus. All he could see was the waiting ground.

A pink sonic attack sliced through the front, releasing Ace from the bike's grasp. Catapulted forward, Ace managed to hook onto the other bike. It pulled upwards away from the ground. Without hesitation, the rider offered their hand to Ace. Smiling he grabbed it, and hoisted himself behind them.

However, the bike wasn't meant for two people, with a groan the bike began to drop sharply. The rider pushed the bike on, as they just skimmed a tall hedge. Completely inelegantly, the bike nosedived straight into a large lake. Ace allowed himself to sink, so that he wasn't in the way of the heavy bike. The bike was sinking like a ton of bricks. Ace looked up from his helmet, through the water into the darkening sky above him.

Slowly, to make sure everything was working Ace rose to the surface. He pulled the helmet and tasted the air in his lungs. Lavender hung in the air, and a huge willow sat to the side of the lake. Ace looked around, as the rider of the other bike rose up behind him. He was about to turn to see his savior, when he noticed something.

The black jet that was practically destroyed rose into the sky, before light shone from within it. A figure stood on the nose, lifting it up into the sky. A silver falcon shone on its base. Layol's symbol. Ace stunned, watched as the jet flew up into the sky, and carried on till it was nothing more than a shooting star.

"Layol…what did...why did you…" he whispered, still watching the star. It glittered, and winked before fading.

"Ace, that was too close. Are you alright?" a frantic voice came from behind him, he turned.

"I'm fine thanks to y-"he cut off, staring. The black and pink armored, blonde haired rabbit looked at him worried.

"I'm dreaming again…" he whispered moving backwards.

"No Ace, I'm here. It's really me" she whispered, swimming up to him. He pulled himself onto the shore staring at her.

"But how…?" he whispered disbelieving what was in front of him. A hand pulled his chin up, and her green eyes locked to his blue.

"Ace, it's really me…I don't know how I'm here, but I know it's me" she smiled gently, brushing his cheek softly. Then she looked up to him, before leaning into him. Gently, she placed a kiss on his lips. He gently closed his eyes, leaning back into the kiss. As he wrapped his arms around her waist, he had seen the ting piece of the white life giving gem placed into Lexi's chest, it was glimmering gently. _Thank you Layol_ he thought, hoping she'd hear him.

Then he pulled into a more passionate kiss, Lexi pulled back. Then looked at him

"Don't leave me Ace" she whispered, he placed his hands on her cheeks

"Never again" he responded before they kissed again, covered by the willow in hidden place sealed within Acmetropolis.

Crime fighting could wait until tomorrow.

And there it is for you, I've really enjoyed writing this.

Big thank yous:

~To all my reviewers- it made the story so much more worthwhile.

~Academia Cicero- for the helpful reviews and the name for my villain. Thank you so much.

~To my good friend, HaiTing (she'll know what I'm doing XD) - thanks for kicking me to get this story finished, and all of the support. I couldn't have done this without you ;)

_FreedomFighter94_


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